Days of Syrian government are numbered

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has said time is running out for the Syrian leader after the Arab League agreed on sanctions against Damascus over its crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

The league approved unprecedented sanctions on Sunday, including an asset freeze and an embargo on investments. In response, Syria described the move as a declaration of “economic war”. The UN says more than 3,500 people have died in the crackdown on protests which have been going since March. The government of President Bashar al-Assad blames the violence on armed gangs and militants.

Meanwhile, violence continued on Sunday with Syrian activists saying at least 11 people had been killed across the country. The flashpoint region of Homs saw at least six deaths in three separate incidents, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Reports from Syria are difficult to verify as foreign journalists are unable to move around the country freely.